Houston-area home sales rising steadily

The fiery housing market of a few years ago may be long gone, but home sales and prices were hotter last year than in 2010.

Single-family home sales were up 4 percent for the year while the median price inched up 0.7 percent to $155,000, the Houston Association of Realtors said today in a monthly report.

Housing activity was up during the last seven months of the year compared to 2010 when sales dropped off after the homebuyer tax credit expired.

“We spent a good part of the year struggling to accurately gauge the market because we were comparing to accelerated sales in 2010 that resulted from the homebuyer tax credit,” Wayne Stroman, the association’s new chairman said in a statement. “Once we distanced ourselves from that period, we saw clear indications of a healthy market with a balanced supply of housing inventory and strong pricing—conditions that put Houston in an enviable position compared to many housing markets around the country.”

For the past seven months, area home sales have been on the rise.

December sales were up 7.2 percent over the previous year. The single-family home median price — the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less — rose 1.9 percent to $160,000.